The present invention relates to transformer core manufacturing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to transformer core manufacturing apparatus and method using a thin plate formed of amorphous magnetic material.
The amorphous magnetic thin plate used for forming the transformer core has a considerably small thickness ranging from 0.022 to 0.025 mm. The core is manufactured by sequentially uncoiling a plurality of magnetic materials from a plurality of uncoilers each having the amorphous magnetic thin plate coiled like hoop, and cutting the uncoiled plurality of magnetic materials in a predetermined dimension while being laminated. They are wound around the coil core to form the core. The amorphous magnetic material is very thin and lightweight, which is easily displaced in the width direction during carriage. So they have to be aligned in the course of the carriage process.
Especially, a plurality of magnetic thin plates are wound in tight state to form the single hoop material, and in most of the cases, the thin plates are wound while being displaced with one another. It is therefore difficult to efficiently align the plurality of the magnetic thin plates which have been separated from the tightly-attached plates one by one. If displaced one of the plurality of thin plates which have been tightly attached is forcedly aligned to the other plates under pressure, in the width direction, crack is likely to occur because of small thickness of the plate. In the state where a plurality of groups each formed of a certain number of the magnetic thin plates are coiled to form the core, it is difficult to correct the displacement of the group with respect to the other one owing to the tightening force resulting from coiling.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-109562, predetermined number of a plurality of the hoop-like amorphous magnetic thin plates is cut in the same size. Those cut in the same size a plurality of times are sequentially transferred from the base to the alignment stand so that a plurality of base core plates are laminated while being aligned using the square ruler for alignment at the same position to form the unit laminated body. Subsequently, the next unit laminated body is formed in the same way while having the slightly different size. The respective unit laminated bodies are sequentially wound around the winding up frame by the winding belt to form the iron core.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-171936, the predetermined number of the amorphous magnetic thin bands are laminated and cut to have a predetermined length. They are laminated in the predetermined number of stages to be circularly wound sequentially to form the annular iron core. If protruding portion extending from the laminated end surface exists, a backing plate is put on the protruding portion so as to be pressed under the predetermined pressing force. The misaligned protruding portion, thus, may be inserted between the coiled layers for alignment.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-66065, a plurality of hoop-like materials uncoiled from the uncoiler are separated by the inlet roller to pass through a deflection adding portion. The material is regulated in the width direction by the width guide roller in the rear stage of the outlet roller. Thereafter, the hoop-like material is pulled by a predetermined dimension by the grip portion (gripper), and cut while having the end surfaces aligned.